Drawn in by the appeal of zero sugar and zero calories, about one in five Americans enjoy a diet soda every single day.¹ While some sodas have around 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar, diet soda uses artificial sweeteners to offer its drinkers a zero sugar alternative. However, does having “zero” on the label really make diet soda a healthier choice?

In a world where you only have these two options, the answer is yes. But, thankfully, we don’t live in that world. That’s because today, you've got other options—like OLIPOP!

But what about OLIPOP makes it different from diet soda? Join us as we tackle the history of diet soda and how OLIPOP differs.

Why Were Diet Sodas Created?

Soda got its start back in the 1700s as a medicinal health tonic designed to cure all sorts of ailments. But as time went on, soda makers started adding ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, caramel coloring, and chemical preservatives to boost flavor and extend shelf life. As a result, what once was a health tonic turned into something with the opposite effect.

By the 1940s, concerns over sugar-filled sodas grew.² Discoveries of artificial sweeteners like saccharin (1897), cyclamate (1937), and aspartame (1965) led to the introduction of diet sodas in the 1950s.³

The first diet soda, No-Cal (1952), used the now-banned cyclamate for a sugar-free option aimed at those with health concerns. Soon after, Diet Rite launched in 1958. Early diet sodas were sold alongside medicines in pharmacies, echoing their health-focused origins.⁴

However, these brands soon marketed themselves as 'diet' drinks, shifting their focus to weight loss.⁵ Today, 'diet culture' is still a major marketing force. Rather than creating genuinely healthier alternatives, many soda companies continue promoting 'zero sugar' products, filled with artificial ingredients that offer little nutritional value.⁶

Why Was OLIPOP Created?

This question about the nutritional value (or lack thereof) of soda stuck with our OLIPOP co-founders, Ben and David. They refused to believe that sugar and zero sugar were the only two options. There had to be another way to satisfy your sweet tooth without throwing off your gut or drinking more than your daily limit of sugar in one can.

In their search for research-backed ingredients, they put together a team of some of the top microbiome researchers in the world. What resulted was OLIPOP, a functional and delicious soda that combines the rich, sweet, and bubbly flavors you know and love with the complex nutrients you need. In other words, it tastes just like the soda you grew up sipping, but with the added benefit of microbiome and digestive health support.

At OLIPOP we’re charging into the future by looking at the past and taking soda back to its original iteration: a nutritious and delicious drink. We’ve taken a drink traditionally dominated by processed sugar and made it into a high-fiber and tasty experience. That’s because at OLIPOP we know that life is too short to load up on added sugar and drink a soda with zero nutrition. But it’s also too short not to satisfy your sweet cravings.

But what makes us so different from a can of diet soda? Let’s dive in to find out:

Diet Soda vs. OLIPOP: Calories

Diet Soda

Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame-K give diet soda its sweet taste with none of the calories. However, this is because the body can't metabolize them and they're anywhere from 200 to 600 times sweeter than table sugar. This makes them a popular zero-calorie or low-calorie sugar alternative, but renders them almost completely useless with regards to nutrition.

Diet or “zero sugar” sodas are of course quick to advertise “zero calories” as a positive benefit of drinking their beverage due to a toxic diet culture equating the measurement of calories to the measurement of health. But if something has zero calories it’s quite literally offering zero nutritional value. 

OLIPOP

So instead of focusing on the number of calories, let’s focus on the quality of those calories. OLIPOP, for example, has 35 to 50 calories in every can. But those calories come from our nutritious lineup of ingredients such as our OLISMART in-house proprietary blend of plant fibers and prebiotics. So instead of sipping on zero nutrition, with OLIPOP, you’re enjoying a sip of dietary fiber every time you pop open a can.

Diet Soda vs. OLIPOP: Ingredients

Diet Soda

So what exactly are you putting in your body every time you throw back a can of diet soda? Well, unlike OLIPOP, most soda companies aren’t partnering with leading microbiome researchers and spending years formulating a functional beverage that tastes great. And a quick look at the back label of the leading brands of diet soda confirms this.

Here are common ingredients you’ll find in a can of diet soda: 

• Carbonated water
• Caramel color
• Aspartame
• Phosphoric acid
• Potassium benzoate
• Natural flavors
• Citric acid
• Caffeine

As evidenced by these ingredients, there is nothing nutritive about a diet soda. The ingredients above are either providing a sweet flavor or preservatives helping to extend shelf life. There is not one product in there that any health expert would deem “healthy”.

OLIPOP

Now let’s take a look at the back label of our OLIPOP Vintage Cola for comparison. Here are the ingredients you’ll find:

• Carbonated water
• OLISMART (a unique blend of botanicals, plant fibers, and prebiotics)
• Cassava root syrup
• Apple juice concentrate
• Lime juice
• Natural cola flavor
• Alpha galangal root
• Stevia leaf extract
• Himalayan pink salt
• Green tea caffeine
• Natural vanilla flavor
• Natural caramel flavor
• Cinnamon
  

As you can see, we don’t use high fructose corn syrup to give it that soda-sweet taste. Our squad of delicious soda flavors has no more than 5g of added sugar per can and features sweeteners like cassava root syrup, sweet birch, real fruit juice, and stevia.

Take a peek inside the can to learn more about our amazing lineup of OLIPOP ingredients.

Diet Soda vs. OLIPOP: Function

Diet Soda

Diet soda entered the market advertised as the healthier, sugar-free alternative to soda. It came with the promise that it would help you limit your sugar intake. And, it does serve that function! But beyond cutting out sugar and calories, it's not adding much else.

OLIPOP

On the other hand, we formulated OLIPOP to make it easier for people to reach adequate daily fiber intake and make positive steps to support their digestive health. All by crafting a soda that’s easy to enjoy and share.

Thanks to over fifteen years of research, our functional formula combines novel microbiome and digestive health science with the knowledge of top researchers around the world. Results from our in-vitro studies, conducted with Purdue University and Baylor College of Medicine, reveal OLIPOP's ability to increase diversity, promote good bacteria, and facilitate short-chain fatty acid production in the microbiome.

As the fastest-growing functional beverage in the United States, OLIPOP has contributed more than 5 million pounds of prebiotic fiber to the American diet in 2024. And counting!

OLIPOP: The Functional Soda Alternative

Diet soda focuses on the elimination of sugar and calories. At OLIPOP, we focus on the addition of functional ingredients. We support your microbiome and your digestive health while creating a sweet taste that even a sugar-loaded soda can’t compete with.

So when you’re ready to replace your diet soda with a more delicious and high-fiber alternative, we’ll be here waiting for you!

Want to learn more about all the reasons why OLIPOP can be your functional soda alternative? Check out OLIPOP Digest for all the latest resources, research, and information.

Sources

1. Fakhouri, Tala H.I., et al. Consumption of Diet Drinks in the United States, 2009‒2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 Nov. 2015, www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db109.htm.
2. Bellis, Mary. (2020, August 26). The Troubled History of Soda Pop and Carbonated Beverages. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/introduction-to-soda-pop-1992433
3. Gershenson, G. (2017, February 23). A Brief and Bizarre History of Artificial Sweeteners. Saveur. https://www.saveur.com/artificial-sweeteners/
4. LaBarre, Suzanne. A Brief History of Tab, the Iconic Diet Soda That’s Headed to the Graveyard. Fast Company, 30 Nov. 2020, https://www.fastcompany.com/90580210/a-brief-history-of-tab-the-iconic-diet-soda-thats-headed-to-the-graveyard.
5. Wiener-Bronner, Danielle. ‘Diet’ Soda Is Disappearing from Store Shelves. CNN, 14 Dec. 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/business-food/diet-soda-zero-sugar/index.html.
6. Thompson, Derek. “Diet Coke’s Moment of Panic.” The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/01/diet-coke-new-can/550478/.